Cigarette-machine



No. 238,640. Patented March 8,1881.

INVBNTR i,

ATTORNEYS.

WITNBSSES:

uPr-JERS, Piloto-LITHOGRAPHER. wAsnmGYcN. D C.

(Model.)

J. A. BONSACK. Cigarette Machine.'

No. 238,640. Patented Marcha, 1881.

b MU QR G N. PETERS. PN

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(Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. A. BONSACK. Cigarette Machine. No. 238,640. Patented March 8, |881.

l I* A kg (Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. A. BONSACK.

Cigarette Machine.

Patented March 8, |881.

ATTORNEYS.

(Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5. J. A. BONS-ACK. Cigarette Machine.

No. 238,640. Patented March 8,1881.

INVENTOR:

.f ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES:

N-PEYERS, PNoTo-LIYMOGRAPNER, WASHlNGTON. D C

f Uwtrnn STATES Arent trice..

JAMES A. BONSACK, OF BONSAOKS, VIRGINIA.

CIGARETTE-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,640, dated March 8, 1881.

Application led September 4, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. BoNsAcK, of Bonsacks,in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented a new and Improved Cigarette-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilcation, in which- Figure l is a general perspective view of the whole machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line x a." of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the cigarette -i'orming mechanism, partly in section, showing` on the right an end elevation ofthe feeding and distributing mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached sectional view ot' the cigarette-torming mechanism, showing its rolling and wrapping tubes and belts. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the rolling-tube. Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sections ot' the same through the lines y y and z z. Fig. 8 is a plan view ofthe wrapping-tube. Figs.9, 10, and 11 are cross-sections ofthe same through theliuesftx, y y', and z z. Figui; is a cross-section through line z3 z3 ot' Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is an end view ot' the cigarette-making section, showing the counting-belt and means for operating it. Fig. 13 is a plain wooden or rubber pastewheel; Fig. 14,. an inclinedtooth soft-rubber paste-wheel, Fig. l5, a straight-tooth soft-rubber paste-wheel Fig. 16, a pasting-brush. Fig. 17 shows a moditied from of knife for cutting off the cigarettes.

rIhe object ot my invention is to provide a machine which shall uniformly feed and distribute the tobacco upon a continuous paper ribbon, then form the same into a continuous roll, then paste the paper around it, and, inally, cut off the same into detinite lengths, all in a series ct' consecutive operations. This general result has heretofore been attempted, but so l'ar a-s I know with but little success.

My invention is designed to provide such a construction ot' machine as will successfully accomplish the above result, and I have produced such a machine, which, in practical operation, has exhibited a capacity ot' one hundred thousand cigarettesl per day of ten hours.

The several general features ot' my invention consist, first, in the combination of devices for feeding the tobacco to a distributing (Model.)

apparatus; secondly,in the means for carding the tobacco into a homogenous condition;.

thirdly, in a means for further distributing the tobacco as it is transferred from one belt to another, to which end a reciprocating carrier 01 spreader is employed; fourthly, in the peculiar means for rolling the tobacco into a ller and then wrapping and pasting the paper around it; tifthly, in devices for distributing and applying paste, operating, in connection with the wrapping-tube, to apply paste to the edge ofthe slip of paper to cause it to adhere around the roll of tobacco; and, sixthly, in a peculiar construction and arrangement of knife for cutting oft' the continuous roll into cigarettes of definite lengths, all as hereinafter more fully described.

For the sake of greater clearness I will commence to describe the machine at its feed end and follow it through in the normal direction ot' movement of the materials operated upon. I shall not describe any particular form of frame-work, as it is obvious that this must be made to conform to the construction and relation ofthe working parts, and may be varied without departing from my invention.

A, Figs. 1 and 2, is the lrst feed-belt, upon which the shredded tobacco is placed by hand or otherwise. rIhis belt passes around a roller, A', at the back end ot' the machine, then over a sheet-metal table, A2, having upturned sides to hold the tobacco on and keep the belt in place, and at its front end is strained or stretched against a curved edge ot' the table, so that it may approach close to and rest well nigh the top of the tirst feed-roller, B, to secure K the better delivery ofthe tobacco to the roller. This belt is preferably spaced into transverse divisions of equal size, and over each of these divisions is scattered, by hand or otherwise, an equal weight ot tobacco, so that equal areas ot' the belt will always have delivered to them an equal quantityot' tobacco, and there will be no danger of feeding either too much or too little stock. As the tobacco is fed from the first belt, A, it passes lirst between the roughened surface-roller B and the concave B', then is delivered to a roller, B2, clothed with cardcloth, and is then stripped from B2 by astripping-roller, B3, whose card-teeth are arranged to throw the tobacco from the roller B2 down IOO upon a carrier, C, which delivers it to another feed-belt, D. The object of the concave B' is to hold the tobacco well down upon thel roller B until the latter is most nearly tangential to the roller B2, thereby preventing the tobacco from being pulled over in clots or bunches, and preventing it also from strin gin g across from the periphery of B to B2 and breaking or sticking irregularly upon the surface of the cardteeth. The concave, it will be seen, by filling the space between the rollers B and B2, causes the card-teeth to take the tobacco uniformly and press the latter well down upon said cardteeth. This concave is adj usted to or from the rollers by set screws a in vertical slots or guides b.

The carrier C is made in the form of an endless belt revolving around rollers O' C', which are journaled in bearings in a frame, C3, which slides on guide-rods C4tixed to the frame-work. This endless belt of the carrier receives the tobacco from the stripper above and delivers it to the second feed-belt, D, below, and it has a rotary motion imparted by pulley C5, and a reciprocating motion, which is imparted to the carriage or frame through the arm Cf", extending from rock-shaft G", which is operated by a crank, C8, and connecting rod C9, from a prime moving-wheel, C10. The' object of the reciprocating carrier, interposed between the discharge end of one feed-belt, A, Vand the receivin g end of the other feed-belt, D, is to secure a more uniform distribution of the tobacco and the more perfect disintegration of agglomerated masses, so that the illing for the cigarettes may be more uniform. This the reciprocating movement more perfectly accomplishes, for, if there be a lump, clot, or agglomerated mass of tobacco when it is dropped off the end of the carrier, instead of being dumped on the second feed-belt, D, in a single spot, it is strewn over the surface of the same a distance equal to the reciprocating movement of the carrier. I do not confine myself strictly to the peculiar form of reciprocating carrier or spreader, as various modifications of it may be made.

The second feed-belt, D, is arranged on a ilanged table, D', and passes around a roller, D2, at the back end, and around a curved edge of the table at the front end, and delivers to a roughened surface-roller, E, concave E', cardcloth roller E2, and stripper E3, which set of devices correspond to the first-described set A B B' B2 B3, and serve to further even and distribute the tobacco, it being very necessary that the tobacco should be perfectly uniform in its distribution, so as to make the cigarette all of the same transverse dimensions. The stripping-roller E3 delivers the tobacco to ahopper, F, which has a longitudinal outlet in its bottom, opening into a subjacent trough, F', at right angles to the line of movement of the feed belts, which trough is extended in a straight line in the form of a compressingtube, F2, Figs. 3 and l. Through this trough, and also through the compressing tube F2,

passes the roll-making belt F3, which latter passes in at one end of the trough, receives the tobacco upon it, then passes into the compressing-tube, where the belt is rolled up longitudinally and the tobacco compressed into a roll therein, after which the tobacco roll is delivered to the wrapping devices, and the belt returns around a guide, F4, passes thence around a pulley, F5, thence back over a pulley, F6, and then to the entering end of the trough a gain. This trough has its edges curved upwardly, so as to turn up the edges ot' the belt to centralize the tobacco thereon, and tapers with a gradual convergence to the compressing-tube, (see Figs. 5 6 7,) which latter is made also in tapering form with a spiral guide-groove, c, on one side that receives the lapping edge kot' the belt, (see Fig. 7,) which groove, as it nears the end of the tube, opens in the form of a longitudinal flange or lip, c2, (see Fig. 6,) which allows the belt to gradually straighten out laterally again. As the tobacco on the belt passes through the compressingtube it will be seen that it is compressed into a rope-like form, (see Fig. 4,) which constitutes the filler ofthe cigarette, about which the paper is to be subsequently wrapped and pasted.

With respect to the operation just described, I would state that I am aware that it is not new to feed tobacco on a belt then pass the belt through a tapering tube, to curl up the belt and roll the tobacco into a continuous ller. Heretofore, however, the tapering tube has been made without a spiral groove terminating in a longitudinally-slitted and flanged end,and hence a belt could only be used whose transverse dimensions were equal to the circumference ofthe cigarette, and suchwidth of belt is entirely insuicient to receive a proper quantity of tobacco without allowing the tobacco to extend over-the edges ofthe belt and be caught between the edges when curled up. Now bymaking my tapering tube with aspiral groove, c, leading from the side guide of the trough F' and terminatingin a longitudinally slitted and tlanged section, c2, I am enabled to use a greater width of belt than the circumference of the cigarette, since the belt is curved upon one side princi pally,and the groove c and flanged opening c2 receives the lap of the belt and causes the tiller to be rolled tightly at one edge of the belt, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

The belt F3, after passing around the guide F4, delivers the continuous roll of tobacco to a set of paper wrapping and pasting devices consisting of a trough, G, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) wrapping-tube G', and another endless belt, G2. This belt G2 carries both the paper strip and the compressed tobacco-roll, and it passes rst into the trough G, then through wrappin g-tube G', then around pulley G3 and over pulley G4 back to a guide, G5, and then into the trough again. The paper ribbon or strip H is wound upon a spool, H', and it passes up around the guide G5 on top of the belt G2 and just beneath the belt F3, and as soon as it gets IOO IIO

IIS

into the trough G it receives the tobacco roll 1t, Fig. 4, upon it, and this roll and the subjacent paper strip and belt G2 then pass together into the tapering Wrapping-tube G. To prevent the tobacco roll from choking as it passes into the wrapping-tube, a positive feed is given to it `just as it passes'froin the trough to the tube, by means of a toothed wheel, H2. Now, as the tobacco roll and paper strip pass on the belt into the trough the curved edges of the latter give the incipient curve to the paper, and after they have entered the tapering; tube the curving and wrappin g of the paper around the roll proceed upon one side only, by reason of the spiral guide-groove a', Fig. 8, for the edge of the belt. As soon as the complete circumference is made the guide groove a Yopens in the form of a longitudinal flange or lip, b', which allows the upper or lapping edge of the paper to be exposed long enough to receive paste 011 its underneath edge from a paste wheel or brush, (shownin Fig. 10,) after which the tube closes again, as in Fig. 9, to force the pasted and lapping edge down upon the bodyof the cigarette.

1n order to permit the pasting to be successfully accomplished the paper strip H must be wider than the belt by the distance ofthe lap in the cigarette, and this increased width must be on the inner edge of the paper, (see Figs. 1() and 11,) so that when the upper and outer edge of the paper is pasted and forced down it will come in contact with the margin of the paper project-ing beyond the belt, and will complete the paper wrapper instead of lapping down with' its pasted edge upon the edge of the belt.

ln defining more clearly the novelty of the feature just described, 1 would state that heretofore the paper and tobacco roll have been carried through the pasting-tube unassisted by a belt. My novelty consistsin using' an independent belt for this purpose, which is of less width than the paper strip, the trough G being made with double guides on one side, to accommodate this difference, as shown in Fig. 11g, so as to make the paper lap on the proper side, and also in the positive feed-wheel and in the peculiar construction ofthe spirallygrooved and hanged tube, as heretof'ore described.

For applying the paste a soft-rubber disk, Fig. 13, soft-rubber toothed wheel, Figs. 14 and 15, wooden disk, or brush I, Figs. 16, 3, and 10, is arranged in such a plane and at such proximity to the flange b of the Wrapping-tube that it strikes againstthe underneath edge of the paper strip resting against said flan ge. This paste wheel or brush is rotated by a belt., as shown, at right angles to and in contact with a concaved wheel, l2, Fig. 3, arranged on a horizontal shaft, 12, driven by suitable gear or belting, as shown. Vertically above the wheel is arranged a pastereservoir, 14, sustained by an upright frame.,

15, in which reservoir is a screw-plunger, 16, which is gradually forced down by the threads of the plunger-stem to force the paste out the lower end of the reservoir onto the paste# Wheel 12. This plunger is rotated by a worm- Wheel, l", which is iixed to the stem of the plunger, so as to revolve rigidly with it, but permit loose longitudinal movement to allow for the descent of the plunger. This wormwheel meshes with and is driven by a Worm, 18, on a horizontal shaft carrying a pulley, which latter is connected to the shaft below by a belt, 19. At the lower end of the pastereservoir 1 preferably place a netting to cut up the lumps in the paste.

After the cigarette is `rolled, wrapped, and pasted it passes out in a continuous roll, and it enters a holding-tul'Je, J, Figs. 3 and 1, which is arranged in line with the wrapping-tube, and at the outer edge of which a knife passes to cut the cigarette into'definite lengths. As the issuance of the continuous cigarette is very rapid a very quick inovementin the knife is required to prevent the cigarette from doubling np and bursting during the passage of the knife by abutting against the same. A

,very clear, sharp, positive cut is also desirable to avoid ragged ends on the cigarette. For this purpose 1 have devised the following special cutting devices:

J7 is a horizontal shaft arranged in bearings above the holding-tube, and having a cranklarm J carrying an yenlongated tubular bearing, J2. In this tubular bearing is arranged a short shaft, J3, carrying at one end a sharp rotary cutting-disk, J4, arranged in the plane ofthe outer end ofthe holding-tube, while at the other end a friction or gear wheel, J8, is fixed, which runs upon a segmental track, J5, just as the cutting-disk comes in contact with the cigarette-roll, and whose function is to cause the cutting-disk to revolve in the opposite direction to the movement of the crank carrying it, thus giving a double motion and a shear cut which severs the cigarette smoothly.

To secure the rapid passage of the cutting'- disk past the cigarette, to give clearance to the issuing end of the newly-made section, 1 cause the cutting-disk to pass the cigarette at a very high speed, while it passes through the balance of the revolution at a reduced speed.

' This 1 accomplish by gearing the shaft J7 (see Figs. l and 12) to a horizontal actuating-shaft, K, by means ofthe eccentric and differential gear-wheels K K2, so relatively arranged that when the cutting-disk is passing the holding tube the longer side of Wheel K is at that time 'acting upon the short side of K2, as in Fig. 12, to give an increased leverage for a rapid movement, while during the rest of the revolution the relation of the Wheels is reversed for a slower lnotion.

As theci garettes are cut into de nite lengths they drop down a chute, L, to a traveling belt, L, and are counted in the following Way: This belt is provided with spacing-plates f, which divide the belt into equal sections, and said belt is distended about rollers L2 L3, one of which has a ratchet-wheel, L4. Over this ratchet-` IOO IIO

wheel plays a pawl, L5, held in an arm connected to the axis of the ratchet-wheel, and which pawi is vibrated by connection with a pituian, LG, which at its upper end is connected to a crank on the knife-driving shaft. Now, it will be seen that at every revolution of the knife and cutting offof a cigarette the ratchetwheel is moved one tooth and the belt caused to travel one space, and as the belt is divided o into aliquot spaces formed into groups by the division-plates it is only necessary to know the number of teeth required to move the belt from one division-plate to the next to know how many cigarettes have been deposited upon the belt between said plates, and these numbers are just suiiicient for a package of cigarettes.

In the description of the working parts of my machine I have not specifically referred to the driving belts, shafts, and counter-shafts for actuating the various parts, for the reason that this has no special reference to my invention, and various other driving mechanism besides the system of belts shown may he snpplied by the mechanic in more orless modified i forms, to suit the varying conditions of use of the machine.

In modifying my invention I may make the following changes:

In order to make the feed part of the inachine deliver into the cigarette-making portion (set at right angles) the interposed hopper F causes the feed part of the machine to be placed at an inconvenient altitude. I may, therefore, for the sake of bringing the feedbelt into more convenient position, dispense entirely with the hopperFand substitute therefor a horizontal belt to transfer the tobacco to the subjacent trough.

I may also find it desirable to use a different form of knife for cutting off the cigarette, such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 17, in which two curved shear-blades are attached to disks that simply revolve, and which shearblades collie together upon opposite sides of the cigarette.

I may also arrange the knife so as to have a lateral movement, or a movement in line with the feed of the cigarette-roll, so as to compensate for the continuous feed of the roll and prevent the roll from feeding up against the knife and bending, bursting', or doubling up while the knife is cuttino.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. A feed device for a cigarette-machine, consisting of an endless traveling belt, a roller distending the outer end of this belt, and a subjacent table having a curved lip for distending the other end of the belt, combined with the receiving-roll B, and situated above the horizontal axis of the latter, as shown and described. i

2. A device for transferring, carding, and distributing the tobacco in a cigarette-machine, consisting of a roughened-surfiice feedroller, a roller covered with card -cloth, ar-

ranged beside the first, a concave fitting down into the space above the tangential point of these rollers, and a stripping-roller, all combined with each other and with a feeding device, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with a traveling receiving-belt, D, of a reciproca-tin g carrier and operating mechanism, the said carrier being situated above said belt and adapted to transfer the tobacco, by a spreading or scattering action, upon the same, substantially as described.

4. rlhe combination, with a traveling receiving-belt, D, ofv a reciprocating frame situated over it and carrying an endless transferring-belt, C, and mechanism for reciprocating said belt, substantially as described.

5. In a cigarette-machine which rolls a continuous cigarette in an endless belt by passing through a tapering tube, the combination of an open trough having side guides for the belt, and a tapering tube forming a continuation of the trough, and havin g a spiral groove extending from one of the side guides of the trough, to allow the belt to be curled up upon one side more than it is upon the other, as and for the purpose described.

6. In a cigarette-machine which rolls a continuous cigarette in an endless belt by passing through a tapering tube. the combination of an open trough having side guides for the belt, a tapering tube having a spiral groove exextcndingfrom one ofsaid side guides, and aterniinal section to the tapering tube, havingits edges lapped past each other, but not united, so as to form a ange continuous with the spiral groove, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a cigarette-machine which rolls a continuous cigarette in an endless belt by passing through a tapering tube, the combination of an open trough having side guides for the belt, a tapering tube having a spiral groove extending from one of the side guides of the trough, and a terminal section having its edges separated to form a iiange, b', to give access to the paste-wheel and then closed again, as and for the purpose described.

In a cigarette-machine, the combination, with an endless belt and tapering tube for forming the tobacco roll or filler, of a tapering tube and pasting device and a second independent endless belt made narrower than the paper strip and arranged to carry the tobacco roll directly through the pasting-tube, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. The combination, with the belt and paper wrapping-tube having slit with tiange b, of a pasting wheelor brush, I, a right-angular pastedelivering wheel, I2, a paste-reservoir, I4, located above the same, and having a screwplunger, and the worm-gears I7 I8 actuating the plunger to force out the paste, as described.

l0. The cutting device consisting of a holding-tube, J, circular knife J4, and mechanism, substantially as described, for giving to said knife an intermittent revolution about its Own IOO IIO

aXis, and a secondary revolution about an independent axis, as described.

11. The combination, with the revolving eutting-knife, of a set of differential gears and 5 suitable driving mechanism for actuating the knife with a more rapid movement While outting than'during the rest of its stroke, as set forth.

12. The combination, with the holding-tube 1o J, of the shaft J", having arm J tubular bearing J2, shaft J3, cutting-disk J 4, driving-wheel J8, and segmental track J5, substantially as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 14th day of August, 1880.

JAMES ALBERT BONSAGK.

Witnesses EDW. W. BYRN, CHAs. A. PETTIT. 

